The Tennessee Titans suffered a disappointing 27-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the season opener that saw a few of their key players suffer injuries along the way. Among those was quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is dealing with an elbow injury that occurred on a hit by Dolphins defensive end William Hayes in the first half.

According to Terry McCormick of Titans Insider, head coach Mike Vrabel said Mariota is expected to play against the Houston Texans.

“He’s feeling good. He was able to practice. He had some rest there Monday and Tuesday, so he was able to get through and do everything and really be OK. I would say that barring any setbacks, Marcus is gonna be good to go on Sunday,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said.

This should erase much of the concern after Mariota suffered what appeared to be a potentially serious injury, as he will be back on the field for Sunday's game in the first AFC South action of the 2018 season. He previously voiced after the Week 1 loss that he had trouble gripping the ball because of the injury. This impacted his ability to throw, completing 9-of-16 passes for 103 yards along with a pair of interceptions. This made Vrabel's decision to pull him from the game an easy choice, preventing Mariota from suffering further injuries in addition to his struggles on the field.

The Titans are counting on Mariota to take another step forward in his progression as a quarterback after experiencing a step back last year despite leading the team to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. He is coming off a campaign where he threw 13 less touchdowns while committing six more interceptions than 2016, when he threw a career-high 26 touchdown passes to earn a spot as a Pro Bowl alternate.

Mariota's return should bring some much-needed stability to the offense, but he will be without his top receiving option, as Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker is out for the year with a dislocated ankle and an associated fracture. He will likely have to lean on second-year wideout Corey Davis to lead the charge as his primary target in the passing game.